Newcastle United and PIF inch closer to making £200m announcement according to new report
It's safe to say that the PIF-backed project at Newcastle United hasn't gone as quickly as many had perhaps hoped when the takeover went through in 2021.
Most fans expected that once the takeover was ratified, the mega-rich Saudi owners would immediately start splashing the cash on a new training facility and a new stadium, not to mention players.
In truth, things have taken a lot longer than perhaps anyone expected. While we can't argue about the progress on the pitch, the achievements of Eddie Howe and his team are probably ahead of where we envisioned them four years into the project; it's the off-field affairs that have been a worry.
Some reports even suggested that part of the reason Alexander Isak was so keen to leave the club in the summer was because of the lack of progress on the project, having been promised a new stadium and training ground was coming.
Newcastle United could be in their new training ground by 2030
There have been many improvements made to the current training facilities at Benton, but we are still lagging behind our rivals when it comes to the training complex as a whole. But perhaps not for much longer, as Craig Hope last night reported via The Daily Mail that the club are close to announcing a new £200 million training complex to be built in Woolsington, near Newcastle Airport.
The club have been searching for a suitable location since the takeover, and it seems they've finally found it. After looking at Newcastle Racecourse and Seaton Burn, the site at Woolsington has been chosen.
Hope says he expects that construction could start this year and would likely take two years to complete, meaning that we could see the team move to their new digs before Sven Botman's current contract expires.
Newcastle expect the new training complex will rival the very best in the Premier League
The report suggests that the club has some paperwork to complete, and then they will be ready to unveil plans for the complex, which should bring Newcastle United in line with the likes of Manchester City in terms of training facilities.
Populous is the architectural firm involved in the project. The US-based firm was behind the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so the project is in safe hands.
We now can't wait to see the unveiling and to get a look at what the future looks like for Newcastle United. Arguably, this is more important than the new stadium. A new or improved stadium is great for the fans, but it's the training facilities that will attract the big players, and that's what will take us to the next level.
